fletcher



(No Model.)

P. f. FLETCHER. APPARATUS POR SIGHTING GUNS.

PaentedJne 13,1893.

vNo. 499,532.

Iy z.

3A sheets-sheet 2.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

P. P. FLETCHER. APPARATUS POR SIGHTING GUNS.

PatentedJun' 1s, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK F. FLETCHER, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

APPARATUS FOR SIGHTTNG GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.499,532, dated June 13,1893.

(No model.)

'use the same.

Hy present invention relates to a system of and apparatus for pointingguns where the sights are not attached to the guns, and are independentof the recoil.

The invention is adapted for use with guns mounted on revolvingplatforms,as in turrets, and is especially applicable where the gun 'issituated behind heavy shields or other protection,where it is desired tokeep the gun port opening at a minimum.

The apparatus consists of mechanism by which the act of bringingr asightbar,'or telescope sight, to bear ou the target also lays the gun at thecorrect elevation for firing.

Reference is had to the accom panying drawings, wherein the same partsare indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of a turret mount fitted withthe improved apparatus for sighting the gun, the gun itself being shownin dotted lines, and parts of the carriage being broken away. Fig. 2represents a side elevation of the telescope used for sighting, and ofits immediate connections. Fig. 3 represents a plan view of the deviceshown in Fig. 2, the hand-wheel being omittod. Fig. -i represents a rearview of the telescope and its, immediate connections; the worm foralteringthe elevation of the same being shown in section. Fig. 5represents a transverse section of the telescope and illustrates theshaft on which it is mounted, and the two frames borne by said shaft,boing a section along the line zn-tr of Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 6 represents a section along the line y-'y of Fig. 5. Fig. 7represents a side elevation of the end of the shaft B; and Fig. 8represents a section along the line .e-,e of Fig. 4, the elevating screwbeing shown in elevai ion.

A represents the telescope, which is preferably provided with the usualcross hairs, not shown, for sighting. This telescope is fitted in asleeve A which is provided at right angles thereto with a sleeveAQinclosing the end of the shaft B journaled in the sleeveg of the frameG which is secured at g to the top of the turret. This shaft B isprovided near its outer end with a groove b adapted to receive the endof the screw o, by which the sleeve A2 is revolubly held on the saidshaft B. Mounted on the said shaft B at the end of the sleeve A2, is thesleeve d of the frame D. This sleeve is clamped on the shaft B by meansof the screw al', or in any other convenient way. The frame D hangsbeneath the said shaft and is provided at its lower end with a pointer Dand near its center with a projecting arm D2 on which the graduatedcircle C, and elevating screw C are mounted. The graduatedpwheel C iskeyed ou the nut C2 which is revolubly mounted in the sleeve C3, whichsleeve 1s mounted on *gimbals c supported 'by the arm D2 of the frame D.The upper .end of the elevating screw C is pivoted at c2 to the band C4on the telescope A. It will be seen that if the wheel C be turned, thenut C2 held in the sleeve C8 will cause the screw U to move up or down,

and will raise or lower the rear end of the telescope A which willrevolve on the shaft B. The upper face of the wheel C should be markedto correspond with either the degrees and fractions thereof of elevationof the telescope, or the range of the gun in yards corresponding to.that elevation of the telescope, or with both degrees and range. Apointer c is attached to the sleeve Cs and passes over the edge ofthegraduated wheel C for the purpose of indicating the number ofgraduations through which the wheel C is turned and the consequentelevation or range of the gun.

' The pointer D moves along the graduated arc E, and so indicates theangle through which the shaft B is turned for the purposes t0 behereinafter described. A frame Il isattached to the shaft B by means ofthe sleeve 7L and the said sleeve and frame are clamped at any desiredposition relative to the shaft by means of the hand wheel I-l, screw 7Land block 112 which engages in the groove b as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.The said frame ll is provided h IOO Y L mounted on the same shaft L withthe hand wheel K and xniter gear L2.

M and M2 are mit'er gears mounted on the shaft M. N is a miter gearmounted on the shaft N parallel to the recoil of the gun and carryingthe sleeve N2 and hand wheel N3. This sleeve is provided with a feather,not shown, projecting into the longitudinal groove n in the shaft N,andthus is free to slide longitudinally on said shaft, but not to turnindependently thereof. This sleeve N2 is journaled in the frame N4beneath the worin wheel O and pinion O journaled on the shaft O2 in thegun carriage; and the said sleeve N"2 carries the worm N5 which meshesin the worm Wheel O. The pinion (Y meshes in a rack R attached to thegun. These various attachments to the gun and carriage are old,'and I donot claim them as a part of my invention.

l represents a pointer attached to the trunnion of the gun,or of therocking slide, where the gun is so mounted, and moving along a graduatedarc E2 attached to the gun carriage. \Vhcn the axis of the gun and theaxis of the telescope sight A are parallel to the gun platform, thepointer-D indicates zero degrees of elevation, the pointer c indicateszero yards of range,and the pointer l indicates zero degrees ofelevation.

The operation of the device is as followsz- The wheel C is revolveduntil the pointer c indicates the predetermined range or distance of theobject to`bc fired at. This causes the telescope sight A to revolve onits axis B by an angle equal to Whatever the gun would have to berevolved in order to carry its projectile the known distance.` Havingmoved the Wheel C until c indicates the distance of the target, the handwheel K is turned until, by means of the worm L', rack E', and frame Il,the telescope sight is broughtto bearon the target. The act of turningthe hand Wheel K to bring the telescope Aon the target also operates thegear wheels L2, M, M2 and N, the Worm N5, worm wheel O, and pinion O',engaging in the rack R and so revolves the gun about its trnnnionsthrough a certain angle of elevation. The gearing connecting the handwheel K and the shaft B is so arranged relatively to the gearingconnecting the handwheel K and the rack R, that the axis of the gun willbe raised or lowered through the same angle as the axis of the telescopeA,and therefore When the telescope bears on the target, the gun will belaid at the proper elevation. Lateral train is given by revolving theturret orin any other convenient Way. lVhile the lateral'train is beingadjusted, if the distance of the target be increased or diminished, thewheel C should be revolved until the pointer c indicates the new range,and then the telescope and gun should be simultaneously revolved throughthe necessary vertical angle as before. Vhenever the telescope sightbears on the target the gun will be laid at the proper elevation.

In order to be able at all times to properly adjust the axis of thetelescope relative to the axis of the gun, and to` compensate for lostmotion, slipping of the gun or its elevating gear and for othersimilar-errors the pointers P and D are provided. These pointers P and Dshould always indicate the same angle on the graduated arcs E2 andErespeetively. Since the pointer P is attached to the trunnion of thegun and the are E2 to the carriage the likelihood of error there ispractically nil, and any difference between the readings of the twopointers l and D should be corrected by adjusting the position of theaxis of the telescope. This is done by easing up on the hand wheel H andclamp screw It', and then moving the pointer\D until its positionrelative to the arc .E corresponds with the position of the pointer Irelative to the arc E2. When the two pointers indicate the same angle,the frame li is clamped to the Ashaft B, and the device is inadjustment; the telescope A may then be sighted and the gunsimultaneously elevated or depressed as before.

Iny addition to the herein-described method of elevating and sightingAthe gun, the gun may be provided with the ordinary sights and may beelevated or depressed by the hand wheel N3 and the elevating gear shown'in dotted lines iu Fig. 1.

It will be ievident that many modifications would readily suggestthemselves to any one skilled in the art Which could'be used withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a system of sighting guns mounted upon platforms capable of beingrevolved horizontally, the combination with the gun and platform of atelescope sight mounted on said platform and detached from the gun, anelevating screw for setting said telescope at any desired vertical anglefrom the target, a graduated wheel adapted to raise and lower saidelevating screw, a iixed pointer adapted to indicate the horizontalangle through which said wheel or the vertical angle through which IOOIIO

said telescope has been turned, and mechanshaft, the graduated Wheel C,,screw C and ointcr c' mounted on said arm D2 the frame H suspended'from the shaft B with means of clamping said frame on said shaft, thecurved rack E connected to the end of said frame, the Worm L meshing insaid rack E; the shaft L, hand wheel K and gear wheel L2 mounted on thesame shaft with said Worm and mechanism connected to said gear Wheel L2for elevating said gun, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a system of sighting guns mounted upon platforms capable of beingrevolved horizontally the combination with the gun and platform of theframe G rigidly attached to said platform, the shaftB j o urnaled insaid frame G, the telescope A and means for clamping the same on saidshaft, the frame D having the pointer D and the arm D2 rigidly attachedto said shaft, the graduated wheel C, screw C and pointer c mounted onsaid arm D2; the graduated arc E attached to said frame G; the frame Ilsuspended from the shaft B with means of clamping said frame, the worm Lmeshing in said rackE; the shaft L, hand Wheel K and gear wheel L2mounted on the same shaft with said worm and mechanism connected to saidgear wheel L2 for elevating said gun, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

4. In a system of sighting guns mounted upon platforms capable of beingIrevolved horizontally the combination with the gun and platform of theframe G rigidly attached to said platform,the shaftB journaled in saidframe G, the telescopeAand-mea-ns for clamping the same on said shaft,the frame D having the arm D21'igidly attached to said shaft, thegraduated wheel C, screw C and pointer c mounted on said arm D2; theframe H suspended from the shaft B with means of clamping said frame onsaid shaft, the curved rack E connected to the en'd of said frame, theworm L' meshing in said rack E; the shaft L, hand Wheel K and gear wheelL2 mounted ou the same shaft with said Worm and mechanism connected tosaid gear wheel L2 for ele-` vating said gun, and the pointer P attachedto thctrunnionsof thegun and the graduated arc E2, substantially as andfor the purposes described.

5, In a system of sighting guns mounted upon platforms capable of beingrevolved horizontally the combination with the gun and platform of theframe' G rigidly attached to said platform, the shaft B journaled insaid frame G, the telescopeA and means for clamping the same on saidshaft, the frameD having the pointer D and the arm D2 rigidly attachedto said shaft, the graduated wheel t), screw C' and pointer c mounted onsaid arm D2; the graduated arc E attached to said frame G; the frame Ilsuspended from the shaft ll with means of clamping said frame, the WormL meshing iu said rack E; the shaft L, hand wheel l( and gear wheel L2mounted on thesame shaft with said worm and mechanism connected to .saidgear wheel L2 for elevating said gun, and the pointer P attached to thetrunnions of the gun andl the graduated arc E2, substantially as and forthe purposes described.

6. In a system of sighting guns mounted upon platforms capable of beingrevolved horizontally, the combination with the gun v and platform ofthe frame G rigidly attached to said platform, the shaft B journaled insaid frame G, the telescope A and means for clamping the same on saidshaft, the frameD having the arm D2 rigidly attached to said' shaft, thegraduated wheell C, screw C and pointer c' mounted Von said arm D2; theframe H suspended from ythe shaft B with means of clamping said frame onsaid shaft,the curved rack E connected to the end of said frame, thevworm L meshing in said r'ack-E;l the shaft L, hand wheel K and gearWheel L2 mounted on the same shaft with said worm, the gear Wheel Mmeshing with the gear L2, the gear M2 on the same shaft with the gearWheel M, and meshing with the gear Wheel N, the worm N5 mounted on thesame shaft with said gear wheel N, the worm Wheel O, meshing in saidworm, the gear Wheel O on the same shaft with the` gear Wheel O, and therack R attached to the gun and operated by said gear Wheel O',substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. In a system of'sighting guns mounted upon platforms capable of beingrevolved horizontally, the combination with the gun and platform of theframe G rigidly attached to said platform, the shaft B journaled in saidframe G, K the telescope A and means for clamping the same on saidshaft, the frame D having the arm D2 rigidly attached to said shaft, thegraduated wheel C, screw C and pointer c mounted on said arm D2, theframe H suspended from the shaft B with means of clampingsaid frame onsaid shaft, the curved rack E connected to the end of said frame, theWorm L meshing in said rack E', the shaft L, hand wheel K and gear WheelL2 mounted on the same shaft with said Worm, the gear wheel M meshingwith the gear L2, the gear M2 on the same shaft with the gear Wheel M,and meshing with the gear wheel N, the worm N5 mounted on the same shaftWith said gear wheel N, the worm Wheel O, meshing in said worm, the gearwheel O on the same shaft with the Worm Wheel O, and the rack R attachedto the gun and operated by said gear Wheel O', the pointer Pattached tothe trunnions of the gun, and the graduated arc E2 attached to the guncarriage, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

` FRANK F. FLETCHER.

Witnesses:

JOHN C. WILSON, PERCY C. BOWEN.

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